Brothers Reginald and Vincent Calloway were born in the 1950s in Cincinnati, Ohio. They grew up around music with a father who played the trumpet, an uncle who played keyboards, and an aunt who sang opera. As teenagers, they began writing songs and forming bands, and in college they formed the synth-funk outfit Midnight Star. The year was 1976.

Midnight Star featured vocalist Belinda Lipscomb, guitarist Melvin Gentry, bassist Kenneth Gant, multi-instrumentalist Bill Simmons, keyboard player Bo Watson and guitarist/keyboardist Jeff Cooper. Reginald played trumpet and Vincent played the trombone. Signing to RCA Records, they released their debut album The Beginning in 1980. In 1982 they picked up drummer Bobby Lovelace.

Their fourth album, No Parking on the Dance Floor, was released in 1983, and it went platinum. The first single, Freak-A-Zoid, would go to number two.

Also featured on the album were the quiet storm favorite Slow Jam and the club favorite No Parking (On The Dance Floor).

Their next album, Planetary Invasion, also went platinum and made the pop Top 20 and #1 on the R&B chart with its first single Operator (the band’s only Billboard Top 40 hit).

The last hit album by Midnight Star was Headlines, from 1986. It featured the popular Midas Touch.

The Calloway brothers departed the group in 1988 after irreconcilable differences with the other members. They formed their own group, simply calling themselves Calloway.

I Wanna Be Rich, from their debut album All the Way, hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.

After scoring some other hits like Sir Lancelot, the Calloway brothers moved on to production work.

From Discogs:

Beat Club started off in Miami in the late 80s as a studio project of producer Ony Rodriguez; with his girlfriend and future-wife, Mireya Valls on vocals. Their track Security drew influences from the Miami Bass sound and was successful enough to gain them a major label deal with Atlantic Records. Soon afterwards they moved to the UK and accepted an offer from New Order’s manager, Rob Gretton to sign for his recently launched label, Rob’s Records.
Since then, The Beat Club has remained a “faceless” studio project; nevertheless evolving to incorporate Ony’s various styles and influences.

I am happy to own the original Pizzazz release of this classic Miami/electro stormer. - B.G.

From Discogs:

Gino Latino was a name invented in 1988 by Claudio Cecchetto (the earliest producer of Italian artist Jovanotti) to be used for Jovanotti’s early italo house productions. The name was used for three singles released between 1988 and 1989.

Here’s the promo video for “Welcome”:

About Jovanotti:

Jovanotti, real name Lorenzo Cherubini, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper from Rome. Although his material is hip hop-influenced, many of his songs are not hip hop related. Some of his earlier work is closer to keyboard-heavy 1980s pop.

Jovanotti’s single Welcome, released under the Gino Latino name, reached Number 17 on the UK Top 75 Singles chart.

Note: Around the same time period, Giacomo Maiolini, owner of dance label Time Records, used the same name for some productions from Turin DJ Gino, on which also DJ Daniele Davoli worked.

Nowadays, twenty years later, the name Gino Latino keeps being used (and abused) by several DJs all over Italy.

Original video “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.

Lipps Inc (pronounced like “lip sync”) was a studio band that achieved one significant hit, “Funkytown” in 1980. The song is considered, by some, the last disco song to hit #1 in the U.S.

The group was formed in Minneapolis by Steven Greenberg, who wrote and produced all of the group’s music, and who also played several musical instruments. The lead singer was Cynthia Johnson, and the rest of the group consisted of a changing group of session musicians, including guitarist David Rivkin.

“Funkytown” spent four weeks at Number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the United States and was awarded a platinum record. It reached number two in the United Kingdom and was a hit throughout the world.

The song “Funkytown” has had popular recognition again recently due to a mash-up of it with Soulwax’s dance track “NY Excuse” appearing on the Soulwax remix album Nite Versions. The track is titled “NY Lipps”.

Robin S was born Robin Stone on April 27, 1962. A, singer-songwriter from Queens, New York, she had a big hit in 1993 with her debut single “Show Me Love”.

Show Me Love reached #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the U.S., #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., and #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is famous for its use of the Korg M1 Percussion Organ Preset in the riff that is present throughout.

Robin S. currently resides in Georgia and is working on a new album.

There’s a mix floating around the internet by somebody named Discotizer. (Mix #881 on Deep House Page). When I first heard this mix I was floored. This is the kind of disco that you didn’t hear on the radio - deep, edgy, and underground. One of the songs on the mix is Golden Tears by Sumeria.

Sumeria is Alec R.Costandinos and Don Ray. Costandinos is of Armenian and Greek descent and has long been considered one of the original catalysts of the French disco scene of the 70’s. He has worked with artists such as Vangelis and Cerrone. The album Golden Tears is so-so, in my opinion, but the title track is great for one bit of disco brilliance that starts about 3 minutes in (try listening from 3:00 to 5:00).

Mike Serrette began as a drummer, working with a wide range of stars such as: Doug E. Fresh, Martha & the Vandellas, Ollie Woodson, and Esther Satterfield. Then, one day, Mike and the rap producer, Bill Moore, recorded a rough demo of a geopolitical rap tune, called “The Big Throwdown”. Mike played most of the instruments and did something unusual for him: he rapped. They quickly landed deals with the legendary R&B label, Brunswick Records, as well as Rissa Chrissa Recorcds, which both decided to use the rough demo to press records. In 1981, “The Big Throwdown” (released with the group name of South Bronx ), became one of the first rap records with serious political lyrics to get airplay.

“It really blows my mind/It makes my blood boil/How much they rip us off,with their/Foreign oil.”
Timely lyrics and interesting considering this song is from 1981.

In the beginning there was Jack … and Jack had a groove
And from this groove came the grooves of all grooves.
And while one day viciously throwing down on his box,
Jack boldly declared “Let There Be House” and House music was born.
“I am you see, I am the creator and this is my house
And in my house there is only House Music.
But I am not so selfish because once you enter my house
it then becomes our house and our House Music.
And, you see, no one man owns house
because House Music is a universal language spoken and understood by all.
You see, House is a feeling that no one can understand
really unless you’re deep into the vibe of House.
House is an uncontrollable desire to Jack your body.
And as I told you before this is our House and our House Music.
And every House you understand there is a keeper.
And in this house the keeper is Jack.
Now some of you might wonder who is Jack and what is it that Jack does.
Jack is the one who gives you the power to Jack your body!
Jack is the one who gives you the power to do the snake!
Jack is the one who gives you the key to the wiggly worm!
Jack is the one who learns you how to whop your body!
Jack is the one that can bring nations and nations of all Jackers together under one house!
You may be black, you may be white, you may be Jew or Gentile.
It don’t make a difference in our house. And this is fresh!”

Chuck Roberts - Chicago - 1987
First appearance in ‘Our House’ by Rhythm Control (Catch a Beat rec) 1987
Second appearance in ‘Can You Feel It’ by Mr Fingers (Larry Heard) 1988